EVC Club Local Career Trek

Ever dream of graduating from Kenan Flagler and joining the milieu of freshly minted MBAs sprinkled across middle management roles throughout corporations around the world? Then this club is not the one for you. But if you want to take risks, be part of ideas that could change the world, and lead your own company someday soon, then this IS the home for you.

The mission of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital club is to provide that rare brand of business leader, the lifeblood of the US economy, with the resources and opportunities required to succeed along the path to the C-suite.

Jerome has a true passion for creative problem-solving. Preparing for a career in architecture, he spent years as a sculptor specializing in funtional design and furniture. Upon graduating with his BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder he faced a crashing building design market and pivoted to start two internet businesses. Looking for more experience in small business, he joined a robotics and automation firm in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. As the third employee there, he developed a true thirst for entrepreneurial growth. After four years of building out varied skillsets, Jerome has chosen to pursue an MBA from Kenan-Flagler with emphases in managing innovation, startup operations, and venture capital.

Shiva is from Bangalore, India. He has an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His first entrepreneurial experience was as a freshman in college when he founded a firm to provide server management services. He then went to co-found a startup providing digital marketing software as a service. He exited the startup and went on to work for UTC Aerospace Systems as an engineer. He is very interested in learning about startups related to predictive analytics, digital marketing and cloud infrastructure

Nikhil is a technology enthusiast with an affinity for social causes. He did his engineering from BITS Pilani in India, where he started a school for underpriviledged children. As a volunteer for Art of Living Foundation, he organized youth empowerment seminars across several cities in Rajasthan. Post that, he did a stint at a software start-up, and built a review-based website for CPG companies. With an aim to gain some business experience, he worked full time as a consultant for three years. Post that, he decided to switch gears and came to UNC Kenan-Flagler to gain some formal education in business administration.

Patrick believes in the unbounded ability of human creativity. After 10 years in non-profits, he is convinced that business and technology can solve the global community's biggest problems. His background in talent development and fundraising have led him to Kenan-Flagler, where he is enhancing his skills to run his own business. He is passionate about using technology to empower youth development and also enjoys dipping his toes into water conservation issues. As part of the Corporate Relations team, his experience working with executives and major donors can help build support for UNC's growing place in our local startup ecosystem.

Stuart is studying Finance and General Management with an enrichment concentration in entrepreneurship. He has done financial planning and strategic consulting for several businesses including a couple start-ups. He has experience in sales, marketing, research, operations, and finance in the real estate and financial services industries.

Although Logan once aspired to become a reporter, his interests shifted toward innovation within journalism following the precipitous decline of advertising revenues in early 2009. Logan graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Journalism in 2012. He is currently an MBA student at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he is concentrating in Entrepreneurship. He hopes to launch a purpose-driven business that helps news organizations produce and distribute high-quality original reporting.

Bo graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After two internships with CB&I (formerly the Shaw Group), Bo signed on fulltime to work as a design engineer on site on the construction of the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant. With a solid background in engineering, Bo saw the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA as a great opportunity to complement his engineering skills with business acumen through his pursuit in a concentration in Corporate Finance and Enrichments in Energy and Entrepreneurship.

Monica earned her BA in Finance from University of International Business
and Economics in Beijing, China. Prior to pursuing an MBA, she worked at
Ernst & Young as an Operational Transaction Services consultant. She has strong interest in tech finance, and founded the E-finance Club, a financial technology focused professional community. She loves all the geeky ideas and is hoping to bring more entrepreneurial ideas and job opportunities to UNC Kenan-Flagler. Monica has practiced Chinese Calligraphy since she was 6 and enjoys learning diverse culture through travelling and reading.

Hailing from the small town of Oak Island, NC, Daniel Almirall holds a BS in Textile Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree from NC State University. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Daniel worked in technical sales and marketing for a manufacturer and distributor of plastic and natural fibers in the nonwoven and textile industry. During his time there he worked closely with global procurement and engineering teams to improve supply chain strategies, cut costs, and develop new products in the automotive, filtration, healthcare, and other various industries. In 2014 he founded a consulting and trading company, Textile Solutions, LLC, where he sources and repurposes industrial byproducts in the textiles, nonwovens, and plastics industries. Daniel is an outdoor enthusiast, avid surfer, and skier. He also enjoys running sprint triathlons and playing guitar.

Shiva is from Bangalore, India. He has an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His first entrepreneurial experience was as a freshman in college when he founded a firm to provide server management services. He then went to co-found a startup providing digital marketing software as a service. He exited the startup and went on to work for UTC Aerospace Systems as an engineer. He is very interested in learning about startups related to predictive analytics, digital marketing and cloud infrastructure

“Founders, Funders, & Futures”Speakers Series – Next year, our speaker series will feature 8 speakers selected from the entrepreneur, VC/PE, and C-Suite operator dimensions and will include at least one big name keynote speech (think Elon Musk) as the capstone of the lecture series.

Venture Capital Investment Challenge (VCIC) – The Global VCIC finals are held every April at Kenan Flagler. The EVC club co-sponsors and helps organize and run this most renowned business case competition each year. Students from top B-schools from across the world, including UNC, which placed third in 2014, form VC teams and evaluate and negotiate terms with established entrepreneurs drawn from across the world. Partners from VC firms across the US serve as judges. Watch out and get ready for the internal round in October to select the team that will represent UNC next year.

Coffee-for-Eight – This event organized by the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Kenan Institute brings together EVC club members with senior partners at VC firms for an hour of chatting and networking over coffee.

Field Trips – The club organizes field trips to visit local entrepreneurs and learn about their success stories. Last year, we visited Full Steam Brewery and Bronto Software, both located right here in the RTP.